Public Domain
Felix Goes A-Hunting
1923 · Pat Sullivan Studios · Dir. Otto Messmer
A wife throws her husband out of the house, telling him not to return unless he brings her a fur coat. Deciding that the only way he'll get one is to make his own, he grabs his rifle and goes hunting. All his efforts fail, though, until he meets Felix, who offers to help him shoot rabbits, and impresses the man with his marksmanship skills. However, it turns out that shooting the rabbits isn't quite as easy as they thought it would be.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the current copyright laws of the United States, all works published before January 1, 1929, have entered the public domain. 'Felix Goes A-Hunting' (also known as 'Felix the Cat Goes A-Hunting') was released as part of the Felix the Cat series produced by Pat Sullivan and distributed by Margaret J. Winkler.
The film was originally released on November 15, 1923. Because its publication occurred well before the 1929 threshold, its initial 28-year copyright term and any subsequent 67-year renewal (regardless of whether a renewal was filed) have expired. The work is now free of copyright restrictions in the United States and may be used, shared, or modified without permission.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 15A (Duration of Copyright)
- Canemaker, John. Felix: The Twisted Tale of the World's Most Famous Cat. Pantheon, 1991.
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (Felix the Cat entries)
- Internet Archive, Moving Image Archive: Felix Goes A-Hunting (1923)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.